Coach Dan Mullen Talks the Kentucky Game, What’s Next

After a difficult loss on the road against Kentucky, Florida football’s head coach, Dan Mullen, was fed numerous questions about this game in a recent press conference. Looking forward, the Gators will host Vanderbilt this weekend. The homecoming game will have a noon kickoff in the Swamp.

Going into the rest of the season with a 3-2 record, fans have been questioning whether the Gators will have a shot at the SEC title game. Coach Mullen responded to the criticism of being “stalled out at the New Years Six range ” by saying that each year is different.

“I don’t ever remember a game as a head coach where we had 15 penalties in a game before,” said Coach Mullen. “That is disappointing for me.”

Going into the last drive before halftime, the Gatos had three timeouts before the punt. Coach Mullen was asked if he had ever thought about calling for a timeout. “If they were punting from their own 5-yard-line, we would have taken a timeout. If we had started the possession at the 40, we probably would have had a different mindset.”

Coach Mullen was also asked about the last play and the short passes that came from Emory Jones. “I trust him throwing the ball deep down the field.”

“The second to last drive in the red zone, we convert a fourth-and-two to score a touchdown and there was a penalty. That caused us the kick. Then the next drive, we are down inside the five-yard-line and there was a penalty,” said Coach Mullen. “That’s on me; the penalties are on me.”

Coach Mullen gave some praise to the running back room, specifically Dameon Pierce as he broke off a few runs at the beginning of the game. He talked about how he can use the running backs differently during different plays.

“It certainly is not hard to get motivated to go and play an SEC game. There certainly will not be a lack of motivation or desire to go out and win the game,” said Coach Mullen when asked about staying motivated.

He touched on his competitiveness and highlighted that there is no lack of motivation on the team.

Coach Mullen was asked about Kaiir Elam and his status on his injury but refused to give any details. He refused to discuss any of the players with injuries.

Looking past the Gators’ second loss of the season to Kentucky, the Vanderbilt Commodores will travel to the Swamp this weekend. The homecoming game is set for a noon kickoff, and the Gators are hoping to bounce back.